Bucs expert points out the weakness Cowboys offense must target on Sunday Night
In order to learn more about the Dallas Cowboys' upcoming matchup versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I had to go behind enemy lines. After all, if so much has changed for the Cowboys in the last few months, the Bucs can't be the same team they were when they beat Dallas in a 31-29 thriller […]
In order to learn more about the Dallas Cowboys' upcoming matchup versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I had to go behind enemy lines. After all, if so much has changed for the Cowboys in the last few months, the Bucs can't be the same team they were when they beat Dallas in a 31-29 thriller to open the 2021 season.
A to Z Sports managing editor Evan Winter – who's been covering Tampa Bay football for years – joined my nightly show PRIMETIME to provide some insight on the Bucs. In our conversation, we touched on a specific area the Cowboys' offense can thrive on Sunday Night.
"There's a lot to prove in terms of the Bucs' secondary," says Winter. "They've got health issues, they all got hurt last year. Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean have had injury issues throughout their entire careers."
"How the teams, especially like the Saints – who have had a lot of success against the Buccaneers in the past – what they've done is run a lot of max protect. The Cowboys are capable of doing that just because you put seven protectors and a lot of the time you're going to win numbers-wise," explained Winter.
"The Cowboys can do that and they can exploit Tampa Bay's secondary."
Fittingly, the Cowboys are expected to run a lot of 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends) this season. Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson are capable blockers and have reliable hands. As such, the tight end duo can keep the Bucs' defense guessing while also adding numbers to Dallas' pass protection schemes.
Winter believes this is where the Cowboys can thrive on Sunday Night. When asked what spot should Kellen Moore and Dak Prescott zero in this weekend, there was no hesitation.
"It's tight ends. If you go back and look at the weakness with Todd Bowles' defense, it starts in the middle. Because a lot of the times the linebackers are getting stretched out, or you know a safety is coming in to replace a linebacker." he says.
"Especially athletic tight ends, good receiving tight ends."
The Cowboys certainly have one of those. Even if Schultz is not in that upper echelon with Travis Kelces and Mark Andrews of the world, he's been highly productive as a pass-catcher over the middle.
A big reason why being efficient with Schultz and other inside receivers in the middle is that Tampa Bay hasn't quite figured out how to get pressure with four rushers, according to Winter. The Bucs led the NFL in blitz rate last year.
"If you start to attack the middle of this Tampa Bay defense, all of a sudden, it reduces the blitz," explains Winter. "(Bowles) is never going to stop blitzing but if you can at least get him to back off a little bit of his blitzes, that forces the Bucs to rush with four."
"That opens up all kinds of avenues for the Cowboys' offense."
When you tune in to Sunday Night this weekend, keep an eye on that middle of the field. How the Cowboys attack it will be paramount. Whether it's with their two tight ends or even CeeDee Lamb playing from the slot.
By being successful in this area, the Cowboys could very well end up on the right side of things this time around.
Check out the full episode with Evan Winter on Tuesday's episode of A to Z Sports PRIMETIME!
Featured image via Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
